Blogtoberfest starts tomorrow

And I have signed up. I have no idea what I am going to post on each day (or how for that matter) but I aim to get a lot further along that last year when I went over on my internet allowance about middway through the month. If you are interested pop on over to tinniegirl and join in the fun.

Pregnancy Sucks

Why oh why am I not one of the lucky ones who falls pregnant and breezes through the next nine months glowing?

A colleague recently told me ‘it was your choice – stop complaining’.

How does it follow that just because I chose to have a child I automatically have to suffer in silence if my pregnancy is not what I expected it to be.

Yes I chose to have a baby. I did not choose to have morning sickness for 20+ weeks, back pain, insomnia and insulin dependant gestational diabetes.

Why can’t I let off steam when it all gets too much for me to deal with, when the end still seems so far off and the reward still seems so unreal.

So here I am letting off a little bit of pregnancy steam.

THIS PREGNANCY SUCKS!

Oh My!

It has been six months since I last posted.  Sorry, there has been a lot going on and to be honest I am not sure where to start. 

Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild Oh Beehave Blocks

My Mondrian Quilt - blocks made by the lovely Melbourne Modern Quilt Guild Oh Beehave Quilt Bee




 
And the main reason I have not been online.
 
 

This little tyke is due in January.

We have also had visitors from the UK and packed up the house and moved out while renovating (hope to be back in in mid October)

We have more visitors from the UK in late October and again over Christmas and witht he renovations and everything else going on I have not had time to sew much.  Trying to do some knitting though but it is all going really slowly.

I have some photos of finished quilts on my camera but we packed the cable so can't get them onto the computer.  Typical.

I promise not to leave it so long next time and I will plan to take part in Blogoctoberfest to get me back into the habit of regular posting.

Take care
Jots Mum

Fandango - Progress

Well the blocks are finished and the layout decided now thanks to some rather dodgy cutting on my behalf which resulted in this block

I need to trim them all down before sashing.  Now just to work out what size they are going to end up.  Something for another day I think.  I am about to start playing with my MIL quilt design which I am really excited about.  I really hope she likes it :)

Jots Mum

Whoops - I have been busy :)

Whoops I can't believe it is nearly a month since I last posted.  I guess working 4 days a week really makes time fly.  It is still exhausting and in fact I have been off sick for the last week and a half which of course I am blaming on the 4 day week :).  I have shingles and for those of you who haven't had it before it hurts!!!  I am due back to work on Monday (really have to go back as I don't have any more sick leave left) but I am still incredibly tired and in a fair amount of pain.

But all that aside I have been busy crafting.

I have finished 2 quilt tops

for a baby due August 2011

for my nephew J bday in November (the applique was needed as Jot took to the quilt top with a pair of scissors)

Finished off J&T Wedding Quilt (still need to put on the label)

Front

Back

MMQG Oh Beehave blocks for Rachel

Burp cloths for numerous new babies.

 

And lastly I have knitted two hats for Jot.  I am not going to show a picture of the first as it is about two inches too short and it really badly made (but in my defence I was knitting while feeling my worst)

I am in the middle of my last 5 Fandango blocks and although I would like to get the top finished this month realistically I won't really get the chance in the next week (I will try though). 

I was meant to make my big sis bday and xmas gifts this month too but the materials needed haven't arrived from the US yet.  So I have been focusing on quilt tops this month and will focus on birthdays and christmas for both my big sis and my niece (for whom I think I have everything) in April.

I also designed my MIL quilt for her Christmas present as they will be with us at Christmas and I would love to see her face when she opens it and have also been working on a design for a quilt for my parents ruby wedding anniversary (which is in two days - I was convinced it was next year so have talked my parents into waiting for their present :) )  Not sure if I am going to go with something I design myself or some sort of an Irish chain.  Lots to think about.

For now though I am think I might curl up in front of the TV and attempt to make Jot some mittens to match the hat. This could be amusing :)

Have a good weekend

Jots Mum

Things are changing and February Reckoning

Things are changing round here wth my increase in days at work to 4 a week.  I have been at it for two weeks and I am really feeling the shift.  I think maybe three days a week was where I should stay but we will see how we go for the next couple of months.

This has meant that I have had got very little done in February and so I am going to re-evaluate my goals for 2011.

February


BIL1 & Dad - B'day and Christmas gifts - Not Done

Sampler BOM - Block-a-palooza at least two blocks - Not Done

MMQG Block February - Done

MMQG August Sample Block No2 - Done

Fandango Quilt - Piece at least 5 more blocks - Done 3 (I think)

Bind J&T Wedding quilt this one depends on when it comes back from the quilter. - In progress

Bind Jots Doll Quilt - Done

Finish last leftover item from 2010 - Not Done

And there have been no additional things made this month.  I am exhausted a lot at the moment with the 4th day at work and juggling Jot on the train each morning.  So although I am having a number of no technology evenings each week I am usually curled up in bed approaching sleep and I am feeling completely behind in my goals.  So here I am after two months revising my first two goals of 2011.

Goal 1 - Family

I am amending this one by cutting out all the handmade gifts for the men in my life.  This cuts the list down by 6 people.  I was struggling to find the research time for gifts for men (they are so much harder than for women)  So in 2011 we will be buying for the men but I plan to reinstate the boys for 2012. 

New list:

Jan - SIL (Mar)
Feb -
Mar - Big Sis (July)
Apr - Neice (July)
May - MIL (Sept)
June - Mum (Sept)
July - Jot (Sept)
Aug - Lil Sis (Nov)
Sept - Nephew 1 (Nov)
Oct - Nephew 2 (Jan)
Nov & Dec - Xmas stocking fillers and Kris Kringle as well as CC gifts etc.

This makes life much more managable.

I am also going to revise Goal 2 - Me which was to piece, sash and bind a sampler quilt.  I really wanted to get onto this one but as I am completing one block a month for the MMQG Oh Beehave Quilting Bee I am getting to try new blocks as we go.  I am therefore retracting this goal but replacing it with the following:

To complete at least 5 quilts in 2011 (to gift in 2011)

I have a list of 8 quilts I will be attempting in 2011 and I am now determined to complete (and gift) at least 5 of them.

My general life goals we are better on track for.  I do need to do the Feb actuals and the March budget but on whole we are tracking well for this.  Growing our own food is also moving along happily, we are over run with Zucchini and the Pumpkins have started already so I am now on a search for pumpkin recipes.  Finally my no technology time, these are actually being helped by my extra day at work I just wish I had the energy and mental capacity to sew during them rather than sleep but I am sure this will come as I get used to the new routine.

TV Unit Face lift

Some time ago (about September last year) we decided that it was silly not to use the 'good' sitting room on a daily basis - I mean what was I thinking if you have a room use it!  When M&D were over from the UK we put them to work with a paint brush and roped them is an furniture movers.  We had everything how we wanted it with one exception.  The only TV aerial is in a corner - usually not a problem but due to the position of the doors and windows a long TV unit (like we have) is not going to work.  We have been on the look out for a corner unit ever since.

Just after Christmas we came across one in our local Salvation Army shop for $50, rescued it and brought it home.  It really didn't go with our nice white furniture so it needed a face lift.

Before:

Its not totally before as we had already taken the doors off for painting but this was as soon as I remembered to take a photo.

A few coats of paint later - no matter what it says on the time one coat is never enough over dark wood - it looks like this and sit nicely in our sitting room.

 

I love it but Jot is not impressed.  She has the whole cupboard to put her stuff into but hates the fact she can't reach the DVD player to change whatever it is we are watching in the middle of a crucial part.

I hope you all had a good weekend and I will be back later in the week with some sewing (I hope).  Have a good week.

JotsMum